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25 Mar 2009 : Column 378W—continued
Departmental Rail Travel
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost to his Department was of travel by train by its staff in each year since 1997. [261190]
Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA came into being in June 2001. From available information held centrally the cost of travel by train by staff from April 2006 to January 2009 inclusive was as follows:
April 2006 to March 2007: £2,135,127
April 2007 to March 2008: £2,450,197
April 2008 to January 2009: £2,232,893
Fisheries: International Cooperation
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent North (Joan Walley) of 9 October 2008, Official Report, column 732W, on fisheries: international co-operation, whether he plans to make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Joint Committee. [264940]
Huw Irranca-Davies [holding answer 20 March 2009]: UK officials have attended these meetings and have found them a useful forum to discuss potential difficulties and agree practical solutions.
Floods: Canvey Island
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2009, Official Report, columns 5-6W, on floods: Canvey Island, if he will place in the Library a copy of the recent letter from Councillor Ray Howard to the Environment Agency on development in flood risk areas such as Canvey Island; on what dates the Environment Agency (a) received and (b) replied to communications from Councillor Howard on the issue in the last three years; what the content of such communications was; and if he will make a statement. [264327]
Huw Irranca-Davies:
I have placed a copy of Councillor Ray Howard's recent letter in the Library. The Environment Agency's Eastern Area of Anglian Region has no record of having received or replied to other correspondence
from Councillor Ray Howard in the last three years on the subject of development in flood risk areas such as Canvey Island.
Incinerators: Hazardous Substances
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 14 July 2008, Official Report, column 32W, on incinerators: waste disposal, if he will publish the results of the public consultation on H14 ecotoxicity testing held in October 2007. [263745]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 18 March 2009]: The results of the consultation were a revision to the Environment Agency's guidance on hazardous waste, WM2 which is published on its website.
Tourism: Rural Areas
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding his Department makes available to assist tourism in rural areas; and on what criteria such funds are allocated. [262973]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) does not hold lead responsibility for supporting or promoting rural tourism. This sits with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, DCMS.
However, the Rural Development Programme for England 2007-13, a joint EU-DEFRA funded programme, provides support to improve quality of life in rural areas and diversify the rural economy. This includes support to encourage rural tourism. Over the seven year life of the programme around €38 million (around £35 million), has been allocated to this measure.
This funding has been devolved to regional development agencies to decide how it is spent in their regions to create a sustainable countryside and communities where people want to live, work and visit, now and in the future. The funding will help business to make use of the natural and cultural resources in England’s rural areas to attract visitors and create new employment opportunities through the development of the tourism sector. Around £5.8 million has already been committed by the regional development agencies to projects and programmes of investment that support rural tourism.
Culture, Media and Sport
Cycling
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many velodromes he has visited on official business in the last 12 months. [267024]
Andy Burnham: In the last 12 months I have visited two velodromes on official business.
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